Polymer Clay Artists – How To Discover Your Unique Artistic Voice

With Inspiration From Donna Kato, Christie Friesen and Tamara Shea:

In the polymer clay artist community, there are always lots of discussions about finding your artistic voice. If you are new to polymer clay, it may be that you consider yourself to be a crafter and not an artist… so you may not have even thought about this concept yet.

What an artistic voice is to an artist, is the look, style, feel, and meaning they give to the pieces they make. An art voice is what makes a particular piece unique and recognizable. You've probably seen this before but may not have realized it.

I picked 3 top polymer clay artists with recognizable voices to show you what I mean. 

Donna Kato

Donna Kato's style is clean and crisp. Her colors are bold but never harsh. You will see a lot of graphic patterns and cane work in her designs and her finishing work is impeccable… Donna's voice in her work is smooth, bold, and perfect! 

Christie Friesen (CF Originals)

Christie Friesen's style is sculptural. It is flowing and detailed with lots of little extras. Her colors are muted, earth tones with a hint of pearls and metallics. Her themes are nature based plants and animals. They have antiqued finishes and have a warm aged feel to them. Her pieces are creative, organic and playful!

Tamara Shea (Block Party Press)

The work that Tamara Shea does at Block Party Press has a very clear voice when you see it. It is fresh, young, simple and artsy. Her beads and pendants are simple rounds or squares with raised images due to being pressed into her hand carved molds. Her finishes are painted and distressed giving a time worn feel to vibrant modern colors. Her look is organic and modern, simple and detailed, ancient and fresh, peaceful and vibrant, all at the same time… wonderful!

It can take years to develop your own art voice or it can take a moment. It usually shows when you are not looking for it. It's there when you love something you've made. When it comes easy to you. When it feels right.

Your artistic voice shows when you are playing with the materials and making mistakes. When you take things a direction you didn't mean to take. When you feel comfortable wearing the pieces you create.

Sometimes your voice doesn't show for a long time because you haven't tried enough different things, techniques or materials yet. When you find it, you'll know.

So go out there, try some new things! What are your favorite colors? What kind of clothes do you wear? Are you shy? Are you loud? Are you simple. Are you complex? Put those things in your work and you'll discover the polymer clay artist in your very soon. Even if you didn't know you were looking for it!